Question reference: S5W-33972
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 10 December 2020
-
Current status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 December 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on granting protected status to (a) hedgehogs and (b) hedgehog breeding sites from property developers.
Answer
As set out in the response to S5W-27518 answered on 28 February 2020, hedgehogs are listed on schedule 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), which makes it illegal to kill or capture them using specified methods.
One of the principles in Scottish Planning Policy is that the planning system should seek benefits for biodiversity from new development where possible, including the restoration of degraded habitats and the avoidance of further fragmentation or isolation of habitats.
Scottish public bodies, including planning authorities, have a duty under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 to further the conservation of biodiversity. This duty must be reflected in development plans and development management decisions.
While there is some evidence of a decline in hedgehog numbers, the available information is not sufficient to suggest that the species is in danger of extinction in Scotland. Steps being taken to halt the decline of hedgehogs in our towns and cities include the promotion of greenspace and green networks, for example through the Green Infrastructure Strategic Intervention managed by NatureScot.
The Scottish Government has no plans to change the legal protection for hedgehogs or their breeding sites.